Lidded container

ABSTRACT

A container includes a container body which is cylindrical and includes an opening portion, the container body having a container body rib on at least a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the opening portion, and a lid member coupled to the container body by a hinge such that the lid member is openable and closable relative to the opening portion of the container body. The lid member has a sidewall positioned such that the lid member externally contacts the opening portion when the lid member is closed. The sidewall has an inner side surface having a lid rib which the container body rib contacts and slides over in opening or closing the lid member. The container body and the lid member are structured such that in closing the lid member, before the container body rib contacts and slides over the lid rib, no part of the opening portion other than the container body rib comes into contact with the lid member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of International ApplicationNo. PCT/JP2014/005563, filed Nov. 5, 2014, which is based upon andclaims the benefits of priority to Japanese Application No. 2013-229578,filed Nov. 5, 2013. The entire contents of these applications areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a container that includes a containerbody and a lid member that seals an opening portion of the containerbody.

2. Discussion of the Background

There is known a container that includes a lid member coupled to acontainer body by a hinge so as to be openable/closable relative to anopening portion of the container body.

Patent Literature

PTL 1: JP-A-2008-297010

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a container includes acontainer body which is cylindrical and includes an opening portion, thecontainer body having a container body rib on at least a portion of anouter peripheral surface of the opening portion, and a lid membercoupled to the container body by a hinge such that the lid member isopenable and closable relative to the opening portion of the containerbody. The lid member has a sidewall positioned such that the lid memberexternally contacts the opening portion when the lid member is closed.The sidewall has an inner side surface having a lid rib which thecontainer body rib contacts and slides over in opening or closing thelid member. The container body and the lid member are structured suchthat in closing the lid member, before the container body rib contactsand slides over the lid rib, no part of the opening portion other thanthe container body rib comes into contact with the lid member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross section of a container according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the container according to the embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross section of the container according to the embodimentof the present invention.

FIGS. 4( a)-4(d) show cross sections of the container according to theembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5( a) and 5(b) show graphs each indicating a magnitude of a forceinvolved in an opening/closing motion of the container according to theembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6( a)-6(d) show graphs for comparison, for explaining an effect ofthe present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross section of a container according to a modification ofthe embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross section of a container according to a modification ofthe embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding oridentical elements throughout the various drawings. A container 100according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.The container 100 has a cylindrical container body 101 and a lid member111. The container body 101 and the lid member 111 are coupled to eachother by a hinge 121. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross section of thecontainer 100 in a state where the lid member 111 is closed, taken by aplane that passes through a central axis of the container body 101 andthe hinge 121. FIG. 2 is a top view of the container body 101 and thelid member 111 in a state where the lid member 111 is open at an angleof 180°. FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view of the longitudinal crosssection shown in FIG. 1.

The container body 101 has an opening portion whose outer peripheralsurface is formed with a container body rib 102. The container body rib102 may be formed, for example, throughout the perimeter of the openingportion, or may be partially formed at least in a portion on the otherside of the portion to which the hinge 121 is connected. The containerbody rib 102 has an outer diameter that is larger than an outer diameterof the opening portion. In a part of the container body 101 extending atleast from the position where the container body rib 102 is formed to anedge of the container body 101, an inner diameter of the opening portionis larger than an inner diameter thereof in a portion lower than the ribposition.

The lid member 111 is formed with an inner ring 112 and a sidewall 113.The inner ring 112 and the sidewall 113 are formed at positions wherethey sandwich the opening portion of the container body from inside andfrom outside in closing the lid member 111.

The sidewall 113 has an inner side surface in which a lid rib 114 isformed. The lid rib 114 has an inner diameter smaller than that of therest of the inner side surface of the sidewall 113. The lid rib 114 isformed at a position where the container body rib 102 comes into contactwith the lid rib 114 and slides it over in opening/closing the lidmember 111.

The inner ring 112 has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameterof the opening portion of the container body 101. Therefore, as shown inFIG. 3, in a state where the lid member 111 is closed, a gap 151 isformed between the inner ring 112 and the opening portion of thecontainer body 101.

The inner side surface of the sidewall 113 has a portion located on atop surface side of the lid member 111 relative to the lid rib 114, theportion having an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of thecontainer body rib 102. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, in a state wherethe lid member 111 is closed, a gap 152 is formed between this portionof the sidewall 113 and the container body rib 102.

The lid member 111 is formed with a flange 115 in a portion on the otherside of the portion to which the hinge 121 is connected. The flange 115is formed being connected to the sidewall 113, with its upper surfacebeing connected, as an example, to an outer top surface of the lidmember 111. The flange 115 has a slanted upper surface, with itsthickness in a tip portion being smaller than that of a portionconnected to the sidewall 113. The flange 115 is formed with a recess116 in a lower surface opposed to the upper surface. The lid member 111can be closed by pushing down the upper surface of the flange 115 with afinger, and can be opened by pushing up the lower surface.

How the lid member 111 is opened/closed will hereinafter be described.FIGS. 4( a)-4(d) show cross sections each indicating a vicinity of theflange 115 of the container 100, in a process of opening/closing the lidmember 111.

In closing the lid member 111 from its opened state, with the hinge 121serving as an axis, the container body rib 102 firstly comes intocontact with the lid rib 114 as shown in FIG. 4( a).

Afterwards, as shown in FIG. 4( b), the container body rib 102 receivesa pressing force from the lid rib 114 and is elastically deformed.Further, as shown in FIG. 4( c), the container body rib 102, which is incontact with the lid rib 114, slides and slides over the lid rib 114.The expression “slides over” refers to the fact that the container bodyrib 102 passes over the peak portion of the lid rib 114 and startsrecovering from the deformed state.

As shown in FIG. 4( c), after the container body rib 102 slides over thelid rib 114, the inner ring 112 comes into contact with the openingportion of the container body 101. Afterwards, as shown in FIG. 4( d),the inner ring 112 comes into contact with the inner side surface of theopening portion, receives a pressing force from the opening portion, andis elastically deformed. Then, the inner ring 112 is fitted to theopening portion by sliding, while the container body rib 102 recoversfrom the elastic deformation, thereby closing the lid member.

In opening the lid member 111 from its closed state, with the hinge 121serving as an axis, a process reverse to the above-described process isperformed. Specifically, from the state shown in FIG. 4( d), the innerring 112 is permitted to slide over the inner side surface of theopening portion of the container body 101 and separate from the opening(FIG. 4( c)). Afterwards, the container body rib 102 slides over the lidrib 114 by being elastically deformed (FIG. 4( b)). Further, thecontainer body rib 102 is detached from the lid rib 114, thereby openingthe lid member.

Since there is the gap 151 between the inner ring 112 and the openingportion of the container body 101, a tip of the opening portion of thecontainer body 101 does not come into contact with the inner ring 112 ineither of the opening and closing motions described above. Thus, theoccurrence of unnecessary interference can be minimized.

In addition, the gap 152 that is present between the sidewall 113 andthe container body rib 102 thrusts the container body rib 102 intomovement to recover from the deformed state at the time of completingthe closing motion. As a result, the container body rib 102 isdisplaced, in the gap 152, closer to the sidewall 113 than when in itsoriginal shape, followed by recovering to the original shape. Therefore,when the closing motion is completed, the user can feel that the lidmember 111 has been thrust to close with a click, and hence can easilyconfirm that the container has been sealed.

The force involved in the opening/closing motion of the lid member 111will hereinafter be described. FIGS. 5( a) and 5(b) show graphsindicating changes of force with time which should be applied to theflange 115 in the closing and opening motions, respectively. In thegraphs, the horizontal axis represents time, while the vertical axisrepresents a magnitude of force. This force is a resultant forceexpressed by X+Y, where X is a resistance force of the container bodyrib 102 caused by friction due to the contact between the container bodyrib 102 and the lid rib 114 or elastic deformation of the container bodyrib 102 when it slides over the lid rib 114, and Y is a resistance forceof the inner ring 112 caused by friction due to the contact between theinner ring 112 and the opening portion of the container body 101 orelastic deformation of the inner ring 112. In FIGS. 5( a) and 5(b), forclarity, the origin of the vertical axis is shifted in each of thegraphs of the resultant force.

As shown in FIGS. 5( a) and 5(b), both in the closing and openingmotions, the resultant force X₊Y is maintained at an approximatelyconstant value for some period of time. This is because there is a timelag between the period when the container body rib 102 is in contactwith the lid rib 114 and the period when the inner ring 112 is incontact with the opening portion of the container body 101, and thusbecause the periods of generating resistance forces and the peaks of theforces are decentralized.

In a manner similar to FIGS. 5( a) and 5(b), FIGS. 6( a)-6(d) show, forcomparison, graphs in the case where the time points of generating theresistance forces are varied. FIG. 6( a) shows resistance forces in theclosing motion of the lid member 111 in the case where an overlap periodis longer than that of the present embodiment. The overlap period inthis case is between the period when the container body rib 102 is incontact with the lid rib 114 and the period when the inner ring 112 isin contact with the opening portion of the container body 101. Incontrast, FIG. 6( b) shows resistance forces in the closing motion inthe case where the overlap period is shorter than that of the presentembodiment. As shown in FIG. 6( a), if the overlap period is longer, theresultant force of each of the resistance forces has a larger peak, anda force involved in the closing motion becomes larger. As shown in FIG.6( b), if the overlap period is shorter, two peaks are generated in theresultant force. Thus, at a time point when the first peak has beenovercome, in other words, at a time point when the container body rib102 has slid over the lid rib 114, the closing motion may be erroneouslytaken as having been completed, causing insufficient sealing.

FIG. 6( c) shows resistance forces in the opening motion of the lidmember 111 in the case where an overlap period is longer than that ofthe present embodiment. The overlap period in this case is between theperiod when the container body rib 102 is in contact with the lid rib114 and the period when the inner ring 112 is in contact with theopening portion of the container body 101. In contrast, FIG. 6( d) showsresistance forces in the opening motion in the case where the overlapperiod is shorter than that of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG.6( c), if the overlap period is longer, the resultant force of theresistance forces has a larger peak, and a force involved in the openingmotion becomes larger, as in the closing motion. As shown in FIG. 6( d),if the overlap period is shorter, two peaks are generated in theresultant force as in the closing motion. In this case, the first peakmay be easily passed through by a short-time impact such as of a fall ofthe lid member, or in other words, the inner ring 112 may be easilydetached from the opening portion of the container body 101. Inaddition, the undesired opening motion may further proceed until a timepoint corresponding to a local minimum value between the peaks, endingup with insufficient sealing.

It is possible to adjust the period when the container body rib 102 isin contact with the lid rib 114 and the period when the inner ring 112is in contact with the opening portion of the container body 101. Theadjustment cay be made by appropriately designing the size, the shape,and the like of the container body rib 102, the lid rib 114, the openingportion of the container body 101, the gaps 151, 152, and the like. Inparticular, provision of the gaps 151, 152 can contribute to achievingpreferable adjustment. In the present embodiment, the inner ring 112 isensured to come into contact with the opening portion of the containerbody 101 after the container body rib 102 has contacted and slid overthe lid rib 114 in the closing motion. Then, in an opening motion, thecontainer body rib 102 is ensured to slide over the lid rib 114 afterthe inner ring 112 has separated from the opening portion. With thisconfiguration, the above periods are adjusted. Thus, it is ensured thatthere is a time lag between the peaks of the resistance forces, and thatthe resultant force is constant for some period of time. It is therebypossible to open/close the lid member 111 with a force smaller than thesum of the peak values of the resistance forces, and to provideusability to the aged, women, and children. Moreover, with the fact thatthe resultant force does not have a plurality of peaks (local maximumvalues), or being coupled with the above-described fact that a goodsense of sealing is felt at the time of completing a closing motion, itis possible to suppress the closing motion is erroneously stoppedhalfway, reduce an undesired opening motion such as when the lid memberfalls, and minimize insufficient sealing.

Moreover, since the upper surface of the flange 115 is slanted, the usercan be guided to a correct pushing direction that enables a closingmotion with a small force. It is therefore possible to prevent the userfrom applying a large force in an incorrect direction. Further, therecess 116 provided in the lower surface of the flange 115 causes theflange 115 to be warped when the flange 115 is pushed. Thus, the usercan have a softer feeling of touch, and if the pushing direction isdeviated from the correct direction, deviation components in the pushingforce is absorbed to thereby prevent the lid rib 114 or the like frombeing applied with a force more than necessary.

The container body rib 102 and the lid rib 114 may be provided such thatthey engage with each other in the entire perimeter of the openingportion of the container body 101 and in the entire perimeter of theinner side surface of the sidewall 113 of the lid member 111,respectively. Alternatively, the container body rib 102 and the lid rib114 may be provided such that they engage with each other in a part ofthe entire perimeter. For example, the lid rib 114 may be provided inthe vicinity of the flange 115, and the outer diameter of the containerbody rib 102 may be made larger only in a part facing the lid rib 114,than the outer diameter of the opening portion of the container body101.

In a closed state, the container body 101 may be sealed by allowing theentire perimeter of a tip portion of the inner ring 112 to come intocontact with and fit to the inner side surface in the vicinity of theopening portion of the container body 101 with a sufficient contactpressure. Alternatively, in this case, the degrees of contact andfitting may be made lower, with the sealing properties not beingsufficient. The gaps 151 and 152 serve as bypasses of air in the closingmotion. Thus, if the container 100 is of a sealing-type, the gaps 151and 152 can suppress the internal pressure of the container 100 fromincreasing at the time of completing the closing motion, therebyreducing a repulsive force in sealing.

For example, although the container 100 can be integrally molded with amaterial having some rigidity, such as a resin or the like, the materialquality, the size, the shape and the like of the container in thepresent invention are not particularly limited. For example, thecontents of the container may be, but are not particularly limited to,chemical agents, test pieces, foods or the like.

(Modification 1)

A modification is described below. FIG. 7 shows a longitudinal crosssection of a container 200 according to the present modification. As forthe components similar to or corresponding to those of theabove-described embodiment, the same reference signs are assigned. Thecontainer 200 is different from the container 100 in that the lid member111 does not include an inner ring.

In the container 200, the inner diameter of the opening portion isuniform throughout the container body 101. However, similar to thecontainer 100, the inner diameter in a tip portion of the openingportion may be made larger than that of the portion lower than the tipportion. In the container 200, there is no gap between the sidewall 113of the lid member 111 and the container body rib 102 in a closed state.However, similar to the container 100, a gap may be providedtherebetween. In the container 200, the flange 115 has a uniformthickness. However, similar to the container 100, the thickness may bevaried and a slant may be provided to the upper surface of the flange115.

In the present modification, before the container body rib 102 comes incontact with and slides over the lid rib 114 in closing the lid member111, no other part of the opening portion of the container 200 than thelid rib 114 comes into contact with the lid member 111 at least in thevicinity of the flange 115 or in the entire perimeter. In the container200, the main factor of the force to be applied to the flange 115 in theopening/closing motion is the resistance force X of the container bodyrib 102, which is caused by friction due to the contact between thecontainer body rib 102 and the lid rib 114 or elastic deformation of thecontainer body rib 102 when it slides over the lid rib 114. The shapesof the container body rib 102 and the lid rib 114 may be appropriatelydesigned to thereby allow the resistance force X to be constant for apredetermined time, or it may be ensured that two or more peaks are notgenerated. In this way, an opening/closing motion as good as the one inthe above-described embodiment can be achieved without taking account ofother factors as the resistance force.

(Modification 2)

Another modification is described. FIG. 8 shows a longitudinal crosssection of a container 300 according to the present modification. As forthe components similar to or corresponding to those of theabove-described embodiment, the same reference signs are assigned. Thecontainer 300 is different from the container 100 in that the amount bywhich the inner ring 112 protrudes from the top surface of the lidmember 111 is made smaller than in the container 100.

In the container 300, the inner diameter of the opening portion of thecontainer body 101 is uniform throughout the container body. However,similar to the container 100, the inner diameter of the tip portion ofthe opening portion may be made larger than that of the portion lowerthan the tip portion. In the container 300, the flange 115 has a uniformthickness. However, similar to the container 100, the thickness may bevaried and a slant may be provided to the upper surface of the flange115.

In the present modification, immediately before completing a closingmotion, the inner ring 112 and the opening portion of the container body101 come into contact with each other. Therefore, the resistance force Yof the inner ring 112 caused by the contact-induced friction or theelastic deformation of the inner ring 112 is not generated, or generatedby only a small amount for a brief period, and thus does not influencethe opening/closing motion. Accordingly, similar to the modification 1,the shapes of the container body rib 102 and the lid rib 114 may beappropriately designed. Thus, the resistance force X of the containerbody rib 102 may be ensured to be constant for a predetermined time, theresistance force X being caused by the contact between the containerbody rib 102 and the lid rib 114 or the elastic deformation of thecontainer body rib 102 when it slides over the lid rib 114. In addition,it may be ensured that two or more peaks are not generated. Thus, a goodopening/closing motion similar to the above-described embodiment can beachieved without taking account of other factors as the resistanceforce.

In a container, the lid member may be closed in such a way that asidewall and an inner ring provided to the lid member sandwich theopening portion of the container body. At this time, in order to enhancesealing properties, the inner ring is fitted to an inner wall of theopening portion. Accordingly, in opening/closing the lid member, thesidewall, the inner ring, and other parts come into contact with theopening portion almost simultaneously, resulting in that the lid memberreceives a resistance force. Consequently, a large force may be involvedin opening/closing the lid member, making it difficult to open/close thelid member, or ending up with insufficient sealing due to lack ofpushing force in closing the lid member.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container that has alid member coupled to a container body by a hinge, the container beingimproved in ease of opening/closing of the lid member and reliability ofsealing by the lid member.

An aspect of the present invention is a container that includes acylindrical container body, and a lid member coupled to the containerbody by a hinge so as to be openable/closable relative to an openingportion of the container body, wherein: the opening portion of thecontainer body has an outer peripheral surface, with at least a part ofwhich being formed with a container body rib; the lid member is formedwith a sidewall at a position externally contacting the opening portion,in a state where the lid member is closed; the sidewall has an innerside surface provided with a lid rib which the container body ribcontacts and slides over in opening/closing the lid member; and inclosing the lid member, before the container body rib contacts andslides over the lid rib, no other part of the opening portion than thecontainer body rib comes into contact with the lid member.

The lid member may be further formed with an inner ring at a position ofinternally contacting the opening portion in a state where the lidmember is closed, and in closing the lid member, after the containerbody rib contacts and slides over the lid rib, the inner ring may comeinto contact with an inner peripheral surface of the opening portion.

The opening portion of the container body may have an inner diameter atleast in a portion extending from a position where the container bodyrib is formed to an edge of the opening portion, the inner diameterbeing larger than that in the rest of the opening portion.

The inner side surface of the sidewall may have a part that is closer tothe lid member with reference to the lid rib, the part having an innerdiameter larger than an outer diameter of the container body rib toprovide a gap between itself and the container body rib in closing thelid member.

The container body rib may be formed at least at a position in theopening portion, the position being on the other side of the hinge.

A force involved in opening/closing the lid member does not have tonecessarily have two or more local maximum values in a process ofopening/closing the lid member.

A force involved in opening/closing the lid member may be constant for apredetermined period.

The container may further include a flange at a position in the lidmember, the position being on the other side of the hinge, the flangebeing connected to an outer side surface of the sidewall; and the flangemay have an upper surface corresponding to a top surface of the lidmember, the upper surface being slanted such that a tip portion of theflange has a thickness smaller than that of the portion connected to thesidewall.

The flange may have a lower surface formed with a recess, the lowersurface being opposed to the upper surface.

In a container that has a lid member coupled to a container body by ahinge, the present invention can provide an improvement in the easinessof opening/closing the lid member and the reliability of sealing thecontainer with the lid member.

The present invention should not be construed as being limited to theforegoing embodiment and modifications, but may be appropriatelyimplemented by variously modifying or replacing the characteristics ofthe components.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention is useful for the containers that include acontainer body and a lid member that seals an opening portion of thecontainer body.

Reference Signs List

100: container

101: container body

102: container body rib

111: lid member

112: inner ring

113: sidewall

114: lid rib

115: flange

116: recess

121: hinge

151, 152: gap

Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the presentinvention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is thereforeto be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A container, comprising: a container body which is cylindrical and includes an opening portion, the container body having a container body rib on at least a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the opening portion; and a lid member coupled to the container body by a hinge such that the lid member is openable and closable relative to the opening portion of the container body, wherein the lid member has a sidewall positioned such that the lid member externally contacts the opening portion when the lid member is closed, the sidewall has an inner side surface having a lid rib which the container body rib contacts and slides over in opening or closing the lid member, and the container body and the lid member are configured such that in closing the lid member, before the container body rib contacts and slides over the lid rib, no part of the opening portion other than the container body rib comes into contact with the lid member.
 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the lid member further includes an inner ring positioned such that the inner ring internally contacts the opening portion when the lid member is closed, and the container body and the lid member are configured such that in closing the lid member, after the container body rib contacts and slides over the lid rib, the inner ring comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface of the opening portion.
 3. The container according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of the opening portion of the container body is larger at least in a portion extending from a position where the container body rib is formed to an edge of the opening portion, as compared to an inner diameter of the rest of the opening portion.
 4. The container according to claim 1, wherein the inner side surface of the sidewall has a part closer to the lid member with reference to the lid rib, and the part has an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the container body rib such that a gap is formed from the container body rib in closing the lid member.
 5. The container according to claim 1, wherein the container body rib is formed at least at a position of the opening portion on an opposite side of the hinge.
 6. The container according to claim 1, wherein the lid member is configured such that a force involved in opening or closing the lid member does not have two or more local maximum values in a process of opening or closing the lid member.
 7. The container according to claim 6, wherein the lid member is configured such that a force involved in opening or closing the lid member is constant for a predetermined period.
 8. The container according to claim 1, further comprising: a flange formed at a position of the lid member on an opposite side of the hinge, and connected to an outer side surface of the sidewall, wherein the flange has an upper surface corresponding to a top surface of the lid member, and the upper surface is slanted such that a tip portion of the flange has a thickness smaller than a thickness of the portion connected to the sidewall.
 9. The container according to claim 8, wherein the flange has a recess on a lower surface opposite to the upper surface. 